Zürcher Nachrichten - PSG, Real Madrid toil as giants struggle to get to grips with new Champions League

UEFA's flagship competition has been revolutionised to breathe new life into a tournament which had not undergone any changes for two decades.

However, the alterations were also made to satisfy the continent's biggest clubs by providing more games, and more revenue, at a time when the threat of a breakaway Super League hung in the air.

With eight matches now in the league phase rather than six games in the old group stage, there is more margin for error than before, but there is more jeopardy too.

Take PSG, semi-finalists last season. They were certainly weakened ahead of this campaign by the loss of Kylian Mbappe to Madrid, yet they were also handed a devilish set of fixtures.

With all 36 teams in the league phase playing eight games against eight different sides -- two from each of four pots of seeds -- PSG's calendar was rated as the hardest according to sports statisticians Opta.

They have lost away to Arsenal and Bayern Munich, and at home to Atletico Madrid, and still have Manchester City to come.

With just four points from five matches, they are 25th, one place and two points outside the qualifying spots for the knockout phase play-offs.

Luis Enrique's team surely now must at least win two of their remaining three matches to avoid elimination.

"Rather than our three defeats I prefer to talk about the three matches we have left to play, three finals," insisted Luis Enrique after Tuesday's 1-0 loss in Munich.

"We have dropped too many points at home against teams who have not played as well as us."

Reigning champions Real, meanwhile, had lost just once in 20 Champions League matches coming into this season and the arrival of Mbappe threatened to make them even more formidable.

Instead, Wednesday's 2-0 reverse against Liverpool -- as a disappointing Mbappe had a penalty saved -- was their third defeat in five outings in this season's competition.

Apart from that game at Anfield, Real's fixtures have not appeared overly difficult, but they occupy 24th spot, the last qualifying berth for the knockout phase.

However, with remaining opponents including Salzburg and Brest, Carlo Ancelotti's side will surely reach the next round.

"We've got three games left in the group and it's important that we go and try and win all of them to give ourselves the best possible chance in the standings," Real's Jude Bellingham told broadcaster TNT Sports on Wednesday.

- City slump, Celtic on course -

After five matches, Liverpool are the only side with a perfect record and the only team already guaranteed to at least be in the play-offs.

Even Inter Milan, second on 13 points, are not absolutely certain to be through just yet, although it would take an unlikely combination of results to deny them now.

Nobody yet is certain to finish in the top eight, which offers a direct path to the last 16 without having to go through February's play-offs.

Other leading sides with work still to do to seal a play-off place include Juventus and Manchester City, whose spectacular surrender of a three-goal lead to draw with Feyenoord leaves them with only two wins so far.

There is a strong chance that some highly unfancied names will reach the knockout phase, including French outfit Brest and possibly Dinamo Zagreb.

Regular Champions League whipping boys under the old format, the Croatians started their campaign by losing 9-2 to Bayern Munich and were comfortably beaten by Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

However, they are currently 23rd on seven points, just above Madrid, and have a huge home game against Celtic next.

The Scottish champions, meanwhile, have taken advantage of what Opta rated as the easiest draw in the league phase and are 20th just now, on eight points.

"We're on eight points, nine to play for. We're still very much on course to get to where we want to get to and still three games to go," Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said following Wednesday's 1-1 draw at home to Club Brugge.

B.Brunner--NZN